Monitoring of Quirino Bridge up

January 1, 2014

Cotabato City (PNA) – The Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) yesterday started to strictly enforce a limited tonnage of all vehicles passing through the dilapidated Quirino Bridge that connects this city to the provinces of North Cotabato, Lanao del Sur, and Bukidnon.

Emil Sadain, DPWH regional secretary in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM), said public works engineers are set to install barriers to prevent cargo trucks and buses from crossing the bridge.

Despite the signage and clearly displayed warnings of limited tonnage, buses and cargo trucks still cross the bridge.

Since November, the DPWH have limited the weight of vehicles crossing through the bridge to 2.5 tons.

“We have observed that at night, cargo trucks beyond 2.5 tons were passing through the bridge, which is dangerous because the bridge might collapse,” Sadain said.

A concrete barrier measuring sole four meters will be set up across the bridge’s approach to prevent heavy trucks from passing through, Sadain said.

Built by the Americans in 1959, the Quirino Bridge has been weak, and can no longer carry heavy loads, thus pubic works limits the weight of vehicles using it.

“Its beams and trusses are weak, very weak due to corrosion,” Sadain said, adding that the DPWH is planning to preserve the bridge and open to traffic a newly constructed delta bridge across the Rio Grande de Mindanao.